Civil War will leave most viewers absolutely shell shocked. The fact that this feels like a potential future for the United States is devastating.
Civil War is a terrifying look into what could be a potential future for The United States. The scariest part about this film is that it doesn’t seem all that far fetched. There is a world in which this becomes our reality, depending on if we can get our acts together and learn to love, or at least respect, each other.
It is scary because it feels real. It feels like it could happen. Another civil war in our country is not entirely out of the realm of possibilites. At the same time, this movie does a wonderful job of staying out of the politics of it all.
Civil War follows several journalists as they make their way through the country hoping to get an interview with the president. Along the way they photograph the travesties and devastation, as well as the actual combat, that is going on around the country. Kirsten Dunst stars, and delivers one of the best performances of her career, especially during the third act.
Viewers will be on the edges of their seats throughout the whole film. While it moves quickly, with incredible pacing, it is intense. There is lot happening that is extremely terrifying. The cast is all incredible, with Jesse Plemons making a brief, but memorable appearance. His scene is one that is sure to stick with many for far too long, as it will send shivers down your spine whenever you think of it.
This movie is also very well shot. Audience members will feel as if they are right there in the middle of the action throughout the battle sequences – not that they will want to be. Civil War deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible, with the best sound system possible. There are jump scares, but they come in the form of bullets and explosions. This movie is unsettling, and will hopefully have many thinking of the ways we can prevent this from being our future.
Because of the nature of taking photos of the action and devestation, throughout the film there are flashes of the photos that were taken. This is one of the most impactful parts of the movie. The photographers themselves say that they are there to report and to capture what is happening, not to find themselves on one side or the other of the politics and the fighting. They have journalistic integrity, as difficult as it is at certain moments.
There are a handful of comedic relief moments in Civil War, but nothing that is laugh out loud funny. Just a few small jokes to make viewers chuckle nervously as they wait for what is to come next.
Probably the most political part of the film is a moment where they mention a war from the past, the MAGA war, and then list off a few things the current president did in order to set this civil war in motion. That being said, it really isn’t in your face, and is there just to provide context for the situation the characters of the movie are in.
Civil War is as scary as it is because it feels real. It feels like a potential future. Hopefully it plays a part in preventing anything like this to happen. The acting is top notch, the score is just as unsesttlign as the visuals, and the sound design is impeccable. This movie begs to be seen on the big screen but fair warning, it gets violent, bloody, and gorey.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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About Civil War
From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
Civil War comes to theaters everywhere on April 12th.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.